


Inkblots

by littlev123



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Multi, Polyamory, hope you're ready for a sugar overdose, there's so much fluff here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-07-14 14:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16042502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlev123/pseuds/littlev123
Summary: A series of scenes that didn't make it into my tattoo artist/florist/piercer AU.#1- During a lazy day at the flower shop, Shorter starts praising Eiji, only for Eiji to make sure Shorter ends up flustered instead.#2 - Eiji watches the tattoo process and learns more about Ash.#3 - Ash is pissed and won't stop pacing. His boyfriends calm him down.#4 - Eiji's pining hardcore. (But that's nothing new. Seeing Ash reading classic literature and Shorter's arm around the blond's shoulders, however, is very new.)#5 - Ibe fumbles his way through giving love advice to Eiji.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the love for my Banana Fish fics! I have several scenes from the tattoo artist/florist/piercer AU that I didn’t like enough to post at first, but since I already wrote them and you all seem interested, here they are. All of these take place before Drink, Drink, Confess unless I state otherwise.
> 
> This scene was too on the nose for my tastes, but I loved writing flustered Shorter.

Shorter held his phone in his fingers, but the screen had long gone dark, and his gaze hadn’t flicked to it in a while. Seated on a stool behind the flower shop store’s counter—Eiji had said it was fine as long as Shorter didn’t pretend to be an employee to flirt with an attractive customer again—he watched the smaller male catering to various foliage.

His sunglasses dimmed the room’s vibrant colors, so he removed the trademark accessory and placed it on the counter. His vision adjusted to the vivid petals, healthy leaves, and sun rays shining through the window. Amidst the natural beauty stood Eiji, who turned a pot of red carnations so that the opposite side received direct sunlight. His fingers delicately brushed across the pot’s rim, dusting off a little stray dirt that subsequently stained his fingertips.

It was silly to compare Eiji’s character with how he cared for flowers, yet Shorter’s drifting thoughts chose to regardless.

Whenever he was around him, he felt like he was thriving. He could do more and do better knowing he was there. Ash had said something similar once: somehow Eiji was encouraging their idealistic sides.

The more Shorter considered that, the more he believed it not fair to leave it at that. There was much more to Eiji that drew people in, with Shorter and Ash as the main affected.

Smiling softly, he set down his phone. “You’re amazing, Eiji.”

“Hm?” The florist turned to give him a quizzical look.

Shorter vaguely his hand around for a moment, as if trying to catch his thoughts and gather them into words. “You just…care so much, so genuinely. To the things and people you’ve chosen, it’s like you give all of your compassion without a second thought. You don’t see that a lot, you know?”

Pink dusted Eiji’s face. “Really? I wouldn’t say that…besides, I’m not all that nice. Depends on my mood. Like yesterday when I was walking across the street to get to the tattoo parlor.”

“That was classic! I’m so glad I saw it, you have no idea. That driver was pissed.”

“Good. Next time he thinks about honking at someone to hurry up, I hope he remembers me stopping right in front of him to re-tie my shoelaces five times.”

Shorter snickered. “I wish I got it on video to show Ash. Anyway, petty stuff like that doesn’t change my mind. You’re a good guy.”

Avoiding the other’s gaze, Eiji ran his thumb over a daffodil’s thin leaf. “This might sound cheesy, but…I do believe the world is a beautiful place. It just makes sense to me to treat everything I like in it well. Although, well…Ibe-san does tell me that I attach myself to people too quickly and I should be careful.”

“He has a point. There are a lot of assholes out there who’d take advantage of your kindness.” Protectiveness burned in his chest.

“I know.”

Shorter blinked, not expecting the blunt response, and waited for him to elaborate.

Eiji met his gaze. “I know I could get hurt. But I have to believe in the goodness of others, and a few bad people aren’t going to stop me.”

“…that’s the strongest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say,” he declared, voice soft with admiration.

Eiji smiled. “Right now you’re the one being too nice. How about I give you some compliments instead?”

“Oh, uh, I mean—” The suggestion shouldn’t have taken him so off guard, but it did, and he floundered for a joking response to change the mood. Something about Eiji praising him, right here and now, was nothing short of flustering. “That’ll be easy. I am pretty great.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Shorter nearly choked on his own spit.

Eiji, the sweet bastard, had the gall to smile wider. “You’re funny and energetic. Others love being around you—even when you’re doing stupid stuff.” Fondness gleamed in his gaze, and _god_ the way he was looking at him just _wasn’t fair_. “You make me feel safe. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, I know I’ll be okay because you’re there. I’m sure Ash feels the same.”

“I…” He knew his face was red, and all comprehensible responses failed him.

“Well well, you can give it but you can’t take it,” Eiji said with a satisfied smirk.

“You took me off guard,” he weakly protested.

The Japanese male pulled out his phone and waved it. “Then how about I call Ash—”

“No, that’s fine!” There was no way his pounding heart could handle both of them. He slumped over the counter.

Eiji grabbed a broom standing against a corner and started sweeping. “Find any good memes today?” he mercifully asked.

All too happy to oblige, Shorter unlocked his phone, scrolled through his saved pictures, and hoped his pulse would calm soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji watches the tattoo process and learns more about Ash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another part I started writing but didn’t like enough to finish (that’s why it ends abruptly.) At the bottom I’ve included a note talking about other things I would have added if I finished this scene.

Ash wiped down the chair in his station. Sitting on a black stool nearby, Eiji watched the quick sanitization as the blond prepared for incoming patrons.

“You’re sure it’s fine if I watch?” he asked.

The other tattoo artists hadn’t seemed to mind when he walked in, especially after Ash and Shorter introduced him. Walking from the airy flower shop and into the blacks and reds of the tattoo parlor was like whiplash. Also unlike his quiet workplace, there was the frequent talking of many workers. Behind one of the partitions separating a station he heard the buzzing of a tattoo gun. Despite feeling out of his comfort zone, his curiosity reigned supreme.

“Of course. Shorter said you can check his stuff out, too,” Ash said as he finished cleaning. Then the door at the front opened, and in came a woman with long blonde hair and whose heels clacked commandingly across the floor.

Ash headed to the front desk while Eiji watched from his station. “I didn’t know you were coming today. Finally decide on what you want, Jessica?”

“I have. I want a portrait of Michael, and I have a picture of him with me,” she said.

“All of that thinking and you settle on the most predictable thing.” Ash tutted and led her back to his area. “Old women really do have a hard time making up their minds, don’t they?”

Eiji gaped. Jessica, however, followed him with a cutting smirk. “It’s better to think a while than be an empty-headed punk like you,” she spat.

“The only thing that’s empty here is your love life.”

“Oh, and may I remind you who you went to when you needed advice on your first crush?”

“Yeah, my first crush who I had a shitty date with.”

“He was a shitty person.”

“True,” Ash conceded. Once she sat down, he gestured to Eiji, who quickly straightened. “Jessica, this is Eiji. He’s never seen someone get a tattoo before, so he wants to watch.”

Jessica leaned forward and held out her hand. “Hello, Eiji. I hope I didn’t scare you. I used to be his babysitter, and sometimes the only way to talk to him is with tough love.”

“Is that what you call it?” Ash grumbled, yet the upward quirk of his mouth revealed he didn’t disagree.

Eiji shook her hand—her grip was as assertive as her demeanor. “Babysitter…?”

“Long story short, Ash’s father is a jackass, so my ex and I took care of him when his father didn’t. We were neighbors at the time,” she explained.

Ash sat down in a smaller chair beside her. “All right, show me the picture, and I’ll see what I can do.”

She pulled it out of her purse and handed it to him. Despite his curiosity over Ash’s past, Eiji had no desire to hurt him by badgering, so he stayed silent.

“Clear image, good lighting…this’ll work,” Ash confirmed.

“I want it on my left shoulder. No color. I trust that you can pick a good size for it.”

He nodded. “Sure thing. Wait here for a few minutes. Want to come with me, Eiji?”

Eiji agreed and followed him into a dim backroom. There Ash scanned the picture, printed out a grayscale version of it, and set it on a white table. When he pressed a switch on the table, it lit up like a giant light bulb. He grabbed a blank piece of paper, which appeared almost see-through thanks to the table’s light.

With confident strokes he traced over select parts of the image. “Portraits are my forte. I can do most other styles, of course, but this one is the easiest for me,” he said while sketching the pictured boy’s nose.

“You draw so fast,” he breathed.

“It’s a necessary skill. Lot of practice,” Ash responded.

“Is there a reason you like doing portraits?”

The tattoo artist hummed. “Two reasons. One, like I said, I’m good at it. The other sounds like TV drama bullshit, I’m sure: I like the challenge of capturing someone’s liveliness. Everyone’s is different, and some have more than others.” Ash’s bangs obscured his eyes from Eiji’s view, but he did catch the gentle curve of his mouth. “Even non-artists can see a brightness in you, Eiji.”

The florist mulled over that. Is that really what Ash, and other people, saw in him?

His mind strayed to the way Ash had said “liveliness” with such reverence. Perhaps he was looking too much into this, but it seemed like the other didn’t think he had much himself. Well, Eiji couldn’t go on letting him think that. He scraped his brain for certain English words to plan what he wanted to say.

“Then let me say some TV drama bullshit,” Eiji said.

Ash sucked in a breath, and his hand stopped. “Huh?”

“You remind me of fire. Always strong, whether you’re burning someone or giving your warmth to chosen people. I’d say that’s lively in its own way.”

Running a hand through his hair, the artist remained silent for a few beats. Then he shook his head with an exasperated grin and muttered “you cursing should be its own sexuality.”

“Is _that_ what you got out of my speech?” Annoyance laced his tone. He had worked hard to put those feelings into words!

Ash chuckled, set down his pencil, and scrutinized his drawing. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t know how to react to the other stuff you said. Still don’t, really.”

Then the blond looked at Eiji, and even though he claimed unsure of how to feel, the gratitude swimming in his bright green eyes said it all.

A comfortable silence enveloped them as Ash finished the drawing, and once he was satisfied, he turned off the light table and led Eiji out of the room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this I was going to write Eiji going over to Shorter’s station and watching a guy get a nose piercing. The guy’s nervous, so Shorter talks and jokes with him as he gets everything ready, which calms the guy down. I also thought about writing a scene that parallels this one and the first one where Shorter and Ash get to praise Eiji, but in the end this is all that made it out haha. I got to write Jessica though, which is always great!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes places several months after Ash, Eiji, and Shorter become boyfriends.

Ash paced around the apartment. Glaring at anything that dared get in his way—including a broom Shorter left out, a box of Eiji’s manga he had yet to put up, and the coffee table whose legs jutted out the tiniest too much—he grumbled under his breath. Though difficult to understand his slew of frustrated words, anyone who listened more than ten seconds would notice that most of his sentences started with “that fucking Arthur.”

Eiji and Shorter stayed out of his path beside the kitchen counter, the smaller male sitting and the other leaning back against the slate.

“How long has he been doing this?” Shorter asked.

Eiji glanced at his phone’s screen. “…twenty minutes. I tried forcing him to sit down and stay down by getting in his lap, but he kept bouncing his leg so much I had to get off. Then he got up and, well, you can see that he’s pacing again.”

“Yep, he’s pissed big time. I should have expected this when I heard Arthur was getting a raise over him.” The taller male hummed in thought. A few seconds later he snapped his fingers with a triumphant grin. “I know exactly what to do. Hey, Ash!”

Ash stopped beside the faux leather cough and turned his searing green gaze upon the Chinese male. “What?”

“Let’s do a round of paintball tomorrow.”

“…I’m listening,” the blond slowly said.

“I’ve never played paintball before,” Eiji idly remarked.

Shorter wrapped an arm around Eiji’s shoulders. “See? Perfect opportunity for you to let off steam and teach Eiji how it’s done. You can even pretend I’m Arthur.”

Corner of his mouth tugging upward, Ash huffed in amusement. “I’d destroy you.”

“If you mean like the way you did last night, I’m not complaining—”

Eiji slapped a hand over Shorter’s mouth. “Not the time, Shorter,” he sighed.

In response the other licked his fingers, and Eiji yanked his hand back with a disgusted yelp.

As Ash watched his boyfriends’ antics, his shoulders relaxed, and when he spoke up his voice smoothed into a softer tone. “All right. Let’s do it. I’ll ask if anyone has a ratty blond wig lying around.”

“Awesome! Just don’t aim for my balls,” Shorter added.

“You can aim for his balls,” Eiji deadpanned. Walking over to the sink, he turned on the faucet and rinsed his hand of saliva.

Mouth gaping in betrayal, Shorter rushed over to Eiji and clasped the wet hand between both of his. Droplets fell to the tiled floor.

“You don’t understand, babe,” the taller male fearfully whispered. “Ash has the best aim I’ve ever seen. _My balls don’t stand a chance_.”

“Oh…oh, shit,” Eiji breathed, catching on to how deadly serious this was. Turning his head toward Ash, he released an awkwardly nervous laugh. “What I meant was, aim with the paint balls! That’s what you do, right? Aim so you don’t hit below the belt?”

“You two are awful at this.” Grinning, Ash reached over and turned off the still-running faucet.

The Chinese male released Eiji, wiped his palms on the front of his hoodie, and gently grasped Ash’s hand. He then placed a delicate kiss upon pale skin. Seeing the surprised burst of pastel pink on the blond’s features, Shorter gave a tooth smile. “Sure are. It’s good to see you in a better mood. Seriously though, don’t use my dick for target practice. I’ll go call up the boys and see who’s available tomorrow.”

Once he left the room, Eiji grabbed a coarse rag, dried off his hand, and then offered said hand to Ash. “I wiped off the spit, I swear,” he teased.

“Like I care about that.” He placed his hand in the other’s. “Sorry if I worried you.”

“I’m assuming you mean for the pacing? Don’t worry about it. We all have bad days.” Interlocking their fingers, Eiji led him to the faux leather couch, where Shorter would join them thirty minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anywho, as for why I wasn’t 100% confident with this piece, I felt like it had a lot of choppy sentences. Plus the flow could be better. But maybe that’s how writing humor is sometimes...? Comedy isn’t my forte, so I have no idea, lol.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji's pining hardcore. (But that's nothing new. Seeing Ash reading classic literature and Shorter's arm around the blond's shoulders, however, is very new.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to things that happened before the three of them got together.

Eiji opened the door to the tattoo parlor’s breakroom. He’d become a familiar face around the establishment, so whenever Ash or Shorter wasn’t there to greet him, a different worker would direct him.

Inside, sitting hip-to-hip on a black faux leather couch, were Ash and Shorter with Ash sitting on the end. The taller male was removing his arm from where it laid across the blond’s shoulders, and he paused when he realized it was Eiji at the door. Shorter glanced at Ash, as if waiting for a response. When he received none—the other hardly looked up from his book—he let his arm rest across his shoulders once more.

Had Eiji walked in on something he wasn’t supposed to? He closed the door behind him. Shorter smiled and waved him over with his free hand, so he supposed it was all right.

“How’s it going?” Shorter greeted.

“Good.” He raised the plastic bag he was carrying. “Ibe-san and I made too much dessert last night. I brought them to see if you guys wanted it.”

“Hell yeah we do! Put ‘em on the table and we can eat them later.”

Eiji did as he was told and sat on the other side of the couch. For a second he entertained the notion of scooting closer to see if Shorter would put an arm around him, too, or sitting on the arm of the couch so he could rest against Ash’s shoulder.

He pushed the fantasies away.

He had caught Shorter calling Ash couple-y nicknames a few times, but he had never known if it was genuine or in jest. They both seemed incredibly close, and, despite all their bickering and teasing, they were obviously fond of another. Were they together? If so, it wouldn’t be right of him to dream about either of them.

Then again, the social norms in America were quite different from what he was used to. People were more physical and ready to show affection, whether it be with family, friends, or partners.

…he was rather selfish for holding onto the hope they weren’t exclusive, wasn’t he?

Before he could fall too far into self-loathing, Shorter spoke. “This might be a two-way conversation. Ash here has been invested in this book since he started it.”

Eiji leaned over to peer at the book’s worn cover. Ash, noticing the movement, paused reading and held it closer for Eiji to see.

“ _To Kill a Mockingbird,_ ” he read.

“It’s an American classic,” Ash clarified.

“Anyone who goes to school in America has read it at some point,” Shorter added.

“Yep, for a reason. I remember thinking it was a damn good story when I read it in high school, and it still is now,” Ash said.

“So you like to read?” Eiji asked.

Shorter playfully squeezed Ash’s arm. “You bet. Despite the cool punk thing he has going on, he’s really a giant nerd.”

Ash half-heartedly glared at him before returning to reading.

 _I can’t explain why, but that’s adorable._ Eiji bit back a smile.

“I blame it on his real name. Who calls a kid Aslan?” Shorter continued.

This time Ash smacked him in the face with the novel. “I don’t need that reminder, thanks.”

“That’s his real name?” Eiji questioned.

“Mhm. Aslan Jade Callenreese,” Shorter answered in a terrible British accent. “Don’t suppose you know the Narnia books? There’s a character in it who’s basically lion Jesus, and his name is Aslan.”

Lion Jesus? He shook his head. “I haven’t read them. You’ve got me curious though.”

“They’re not a bad read,” Ash offhandedly remarked. “Anyway, I’m not actually named after him, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Aslan,” Eiji repeated, paying attention the feel of the syllables as they rolled over his tongue.

“Ash is better. I started using it in elementary school.”

“Call me biased, but I like the sound of both,” Eiji said, and he found immense pleasure at seeing a dusting of pink appear on Ash’s face. The blond resolutely ignored his embarrassment in favor of tossing down the book, elbowing Shorter in the side, and standing.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” Shorter rubbed his sore ribs.

“There’s food right there, and I’m hungry. It’s time to eat.” Ash reached into the bag and pulled out the first thing he found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t read the manga, so I don’t know if anyone comments on Ash’s name or explains where it came from. I think that’s why I felt uncomfortable posting this part. 
> 
> Letting Ash be a nerd was therapeutic. The guy deserves to indulge in happy hobbies since he rarely can in canon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how to write Ibe, but the man deserves ice cream. Thus this was born

Eiji dragged his fingers down his face with a troubled groan. “Ibe-san, I don’t know what to do.”

“Ah…” Ibe fumbled for words, and his gaze darted everywhere except on Eiji lying on the couch, as if he could beg the walls for answers. He had no idea how to handle this. Ignoring his own lack of romantic experience, how did you help someone with two serious crushes? One was difficult enough; two sounded downright complicated. “Well, have you told them you liked them…?”

“I can’t do that!” Eiji heatedly insisted, nearly making Ibe jump out of his chair. “I think they might be together? But I’m also not sure? And I can’t ask them; it’d be too obvious I’m interested and make things awkward.”

“Asking is the only way you’ll know for sure. Unless you keep waiting, in which case you could find out tomorrow or next year,” the older man pointed out.

The pole vaulter sighed. “I know. Still, what if only one of them wants me? What if they’re together and I’m making one or both of them jealous?”

“Do you think they would cheat because of you?”

“No.” The response was so immediate and confident that Ibe was impressed and relieved.

“That’s a good start, at least.” Ibe scratched his beard, mulling over his next advice. “If they are a couple, and you say they won’t cheat on each other, then there’s no point in worrying about running their relationship.”

Eiji shifted and raised himself up on one arm. “Huh. You’re right.”

Gaining confidence from his success thus far, he continued. “At the same time, if they’re flirting with you, then they like you!”

“Do you think they’ve been flirting with me? Or am I looking too much into things?” Eiji implored.

“I can’t say for sure,” he admitted. From what the other told him, some of the trio’s interactions sure seemed romantic, but without seeing it himself he didn’t want to give false hope.

Eiji hummed a forlorn note. Instead of the panicking mess from earlier, however, he looked more uncertain and in deep thought, if his furrowed brow was any indication.

All in all, he was better from this talk, so Ibe proudly considered it a victory.

Eiji gave him a tired smile and stood. “Thanks for listening, Ibe-san. I’m heading to my room. Good night.”

“Good night, Ei-chan.”

As Eiji went upstairs, Ibe stood as well and strode into the kitchen. He opened the freezer, grabbed a box of chocolate mint ice cream, and nudged the freezer door closed with his shoulder. Ripping open the box, he excitedly gazed upon his treat inside and took a spoon from a drawer.

To hell with his diet. He had helped a lovestruck twenty-five-year-old with his sorta kinda love triangle, the other two parts of whom were a loud (but gentle and dependable where it counts, according to Eiji) piercer and a brash (yet cares too much for his own good—again, according to Eiji) tattoo artist.

Yeah, Ibe deserved this ice cream.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello dear readers! Thank you all for such positive reception these past months. Unfortunately I doubt I'll be writing more for Banana Fish, at least for a while, so I'll leave you with a few things that I planned to write but never got around to.

-Eiji and Ash babysitting Michael. Michael already knows Ash well and sees him like an older brother. Michael has to study for a vocabulary test for school, but he _really_ doesn't want to. So Ash tricks him into it by telling him that he should teach Eiji the words. (Eiji knows most of them but pretends he doesn't.)

-Shorter had a bad day at work. Ash didn't work that day, so he doesn't know until Shorter gets to the apartment. Eiji notices that their boyfriend is upset too, so the three cuddle on the couch and watch _The Room_ to cheer up. (Shorter unironically loves that movie.)

-Fun fact: I didn't bring it up in any of the stories, but Ash has a bellybutton piercing. And yes, Shorter was the one who gave him the piercing.


End file.
